Cortisol Reactivity to a Digital Version of Trier Social Stress Test and Eating Behavior in Non-Overweight and Overweight Adolescents: A Pilot Study

Abstract

(1) Background: In the present pilot study, we examined the response of cortisol to a digital version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and corresponding eating preferences in non-overweight and overweight adolescents. (2) Methods: The experimental study group included 35 adolescents aged 15.7 ± 0.5 years (16 boys and 19 girls). The participants were split into two groups: non-overweight (N = 24) and overweight (N = 11), according to the Body Mass Index (BMI). We induced acute stress in all participants, using a digital version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), with three different digital tasks. We measured salivary cortisol before the test (T0), during the stress induction by digital tasks (T5, T10, T15), and 25 min after the stress test (T40). The Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Questionnaire (HBSC) was administered to assess the influence of stress on eating behavior: the consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweets, and soft drinks and the frequency of snacks. (3) Results: Among the entire group of adolescents, we observed a significant difference between the sexes in terms of cortisol response, girls being predominantly hyperreactive (13 girls compared to 5 boys, p = 0.03). In overweight adolescents, the cortisol reactivity was lower in boys and higher in girls (p = 0.05). The overweight hyperreactive adolescents, as compared to the hyporeactive ones, had a higher frequency of daily consumption of sweets (25% vs. 0%) and soft drink (25% vs. 0). (4) Conclusions: The individual patterns of cortisol reactivity to laboratory-induced stress could be associated with an increased risk of unhealthy eating behavior in adolescents.

Dietary total anti-oxidant capacity is inversely related to the prevalence of depression in adolescent girls

“…There is emerging evidence evaluating the role of gender in the gut-brain axis [44].Previous research has shown gender differences in cortisol response [45]. Cortisol response to stress may be associated with increased risk of unhealthy eating behaviors in adolescents [46] and may mediate the association between depression and anthropometric parameter (BMI) in girls [45]. In this study, we examined more diverse determinants of depression such as anthropometric parameters, physical activity [45], age, parents' educational level and other social determinants [47], factors mentioned in Table 1.…”